Officer Manuel Ariza Gonzalez, Jr.

Officer Manuel Ariza Gonzalez, Jr.

California Department of Corrections

On Monday, January 10, 2005, 43 year old Officer Manuel Ariza Gonzalez, Jr. was stabbed to death by an inmate, while working in Sycamore Hall of the California Institution for Men in Chino, California.

The suspect, who was appointed as a spokesman for a portion of the prison population, had been permitted to leave his cell to speak with other inmates about their complaints. A short time later, a prison guard observed the inmate attacking Officer Gonzalez and ordered him to get down. The suspect then walked away as Officer Gonzalez fell to the ground. Officer Gonzalez, who was not wearing a vest, had been stabbed with a shank. He succumbed to his wounds, while being transported to a local hospital.

The inmate, believed to be a gang member, was kept in custody and transferred to a different facility. Two other inmates were also transferred as a result of the incident.

Six months later, Officer Gonzalez’s brother-in-law, Deputy Sheriff Jerry Ortiz of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, was shot and killed, while conducting a gang related investigation in an apartment complex.

Officer Gonzalez had served with the California Department of Corrections for 17 years. He is survived by his wife and six children.